


Granbelm: Between Full Moons

by laborgay



Category: Granbelm
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Lighthearted, Wholesome, Yuri, i’m so gay, lesbians will rule the earth, mutual consent
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-30
Updated: 2019-10-10
Packaged: 2020-10-10 12:22:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,139
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20527967
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/laborgay/pseuds/laborgay
Summary: Fluffy, SOL stories about Mangetsu and Shingetsu’s non-Granbelm related interaction.





	1. Fireworks Festival

The sash tightened around Shingetsu's waist.  
"Is it too tight?" a voice from behind her asked. Mangetsu stood behind her, an expectant smile on her face, as if she was awaiting praise for helping Shingetsu get into her yukata.  
"It's fine, thanks." Shingetsu sighed, sitting down on the floor next to the table.  
"Oh?" teased Mangetsu. "Could it be that I'm secretly an expert at fitting yukatas?"  
"No, it's just ok." Shingetsu retorted coolly. 

As Mangetsu started to look discouraged, Shingetsu motioned for her to sit next to her.  
"Do you need help with yours?" she asked.  
Mangetsu laughed, "Of course not, I've been practic-" she cut herself off before embarrassingly revealing her excitement for tonight's Fireworks Festival. 

"Now if you'll please excuse me" Mangetsu left the room with a confident air that seemed out of place on her. Shingetsu waited in the room nervously, wondering if she was going to have to end up helping her regardless. She stared at the empty tea cups on the table, and suddenly wished she had something to occupy herself with. She normally had nerves of steel, letting no one get close to her, but somehow she still found herself growing ever more comfortable whenever Mangetsu was around. She sighed and put her head down on the table, listening for sounds of Mangetsu struggling in the next room. 

Meanwhile, Mangetsu was having trouble composing herself. "She was so...." her thoughts trailed off as she tied her yukata tight around herself. She looked forward to the night ahead, eating delicious food, playing games, seeing fireworks, but most importantly, spending time with Shingetsu. She had been helping her ever since she was thrust into the mysterious midnight Battle Royale between mages, Granbelm. Somehow spending time with Shingetsu made her feel at ease, as if she had someone who would always be there for her. She sighed, "OK", she said, heading back to the girl waiting in her room. 

Shingetsu heard Mangetsu's footsteps approaching and quickly lifted her head off the table, hiding her nervousness away. Mangetsu walked in, clad in a white yukata that stood in stark contrast to the deep blue of hers. Her short hair fell softly over the collar, brightly colored against the soft white of the cloth. Shingetsu flushed red, as Mangetsu beamed at her. "What do you think?" she said, hoping to be praised.  
"I think it looks....very...good" Shingetsu struggled to say , her face bright red, which looked quite comical between her dark blue yukata and her long, jet black hair.  
Mangetsu giggles and smiled at her. "Are you ready to go?"

The crowd was loud and noisy, and packed tightly together around each stand. Mangetsu shouted "Where do you want to go first?"  
Shingetsu looked at her quizzically, having not heard what she said.  
Mangetsu leaned in close to her, lips very close to her ears. "Where do you want to go first, Shingetsu-chan?"  
"Crepes" Shingetsu said softly. The smiling Mangetsu grabbed her hand and led the way towards the crepe stand.  
"Is this really necessary?" Shingetsu asked, once again blushing.  
"Of course it is, if you don't want to get lost. Do you not like it?"  
"N-no, that's not it." Shingetsu stuttered.  
"Then hold on tight."

While Shingetsu waited for her crepe, Mangetsu had decided to go next door, craving a candied apple. She started thinking about the rest of the night to come. She had never been to a Japanese fireworks festival before. She was very much unsure of what else to do for the rest of the night, and hoped Mangetsu would take the lead instead of putting her on the spot again.  
"Here you go" a voice said.  
She flushed and turned around to see....the crepe vendor, holding out the food she had bought.  
"Thank you very much." she said, trying to compose herself. She couldn't let this nervousness continue throughout the night. As she ate her crepe silently, she felt a sinking uneasiness in her stomach as she realized it had been quite a while since Mangetsu left. Just as that uneasiness started to boil over, she heard a voice shout "Shingetsu-chan" from a short distance away. Approaching her was Mangetsu, with a mask on her head, holding a half eaten candied apple. Shingetsu breathed a sigh of relief as Mangetsu walked with her to a nearby bench to sit down.

"Want a bite?" Mangetsu teased. Much to her surprise, Shingetsu leaned over and nonchalantly took a bite out of her candy apple.  
"It's sweet"  
Mangetsu grew flustered and panicked slightly, causing Shingetsu to realize what she had done as she turned red.  
"I-I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking. Why did you ask if I wasn't supposed to eat it, anyway?"  
"No reason" Mangetsu pouted.  
"When do the fireworks start?" Shingetsu asked.  
"In about an hour"  
"Is there anything you would like to do?"  
Mangetsu pondered quietly to herself, a wistful look on her face.  
"Goldfish scooping" she replied, still staring off into space. 

45 minutes later, Mangetsu was on her 7th attempt to scoop up a goldfish from the pool below her. Shingetsu grew nervous, hoping desperately not to miss the fireworks display that would be starting shortly.  
"Are you really this determined?" Shingetsu asked.  
"Yes, and no I won't let you do it for me." Mangetsu shouted, visibly frustrated.  
"Well what if you try one more time, and whether or not you catch anything, we go to see the fireworks? Would that be ok with you, Mangetsu?"  
"I guess" Mangetsu said, putting on a fake pout, and then smiling. "Thank you for being patient with me Shingetsu-chan."  
Shingetsu averted her eyes to hide the light redness that her face had grown accustomed to as of late. "Just please do your best" she said quietly, just barely audible over the sounds of the crowd.  
As Mangetsu tried to capture the elusive goldfish, Shingetsu crossed her fingers. Rather than as a useless display of wishing Mangetsu luck, she was manipulating the magnetic fields to calm the fish in the tank. They slowed down just long enough for Mangetsu to scoop a small one up. Mangetsu celebrated, ecstatic, as Shingetsu looked on and smiled.  
"Didn't you want to go see the fireworks, Shingetsu-chan?"  
"Yes, are you finally ready?"  
"Let's go" Mangetsu beamed at her. 

They found a spot away from other people, tucked away next to a riverbed, not that far from where the fireworks would be going off above them. As they sat on the rocks, Mangetsu whispered shyly "Thank you, Shingetsu-chan"  
"For what?"  
"You helped me. With the goldfish, I mean."  
Shingetsu turned her brightest shade of red yet. "I just...didn't want to miss the fireworks"  
"But either way, you helped me. And that means so much to me, because ever since you've been here, helping me so much, I don't feel like I have nothing anymore."  
Mangetsu banded the goldfish in the bag to Shingetsu, the water inside cool against her sweaty palm.  
"I wanted this so badly, for you, Shingetsu-chan."  
Shingetsu seemed puzzled. "But why?"  
"I didn't want you to be lonely. And I thought that maybe if you had this, you would think of me whenever you fed it, or cleaned it's tank."  
"So I have to take care of you, and also take care of your fish?" Shingetsu asked.  
"Th-that's not what I meant. I just want you to feel like you don't have to be alone. Because I don't want you to be. I want you to be with-"  
Her words were drowned out by the first firework. She smiled a bittersweet smile, and pointed to the fiery display above them. "It's nothing."  
"It's not nothing." Shingetsu said, refusing to look. "Please finish what you were saying."  
"I was just thinking...that everything has been so much better since Shingetsu-chan has been in my life, that maybe I'd like it if we were always together."  
"I think I'd like that too."  
They both smiled at each other, turning to watch the fireworks together, as Shingetsu softly held Mangetsu's hand under the bright lights of the fireworks and the half moon above them. 

As the fireworks drew to a close, Shingetsu leaned close to Mangetsu and asked again "Was there anything else you wanted to do tonight? You seemed like you had something else in mind when I asked earlier."  
"I suppose there is one thing."  
"And what is that?"  
"I don't know if I can tell you"  
"And why not?"  
"Because it would be easier to show you, instead"  
Mangetsu took a deep breath, turned towards Shingetsu and kissed her softly. Her lips were warm, and Shingetsu could still smell the candy apple from earlier on her breath. The final firework went off, and the smell of sulfur and smoke from they gave off was overridden by the smell of Mangetsu. Mangetsu pulled away slightly and looked at Shingetsu expectantly.  
"Was it just ok?"  
"It was wonderful."


	2. Swimming Pool

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shingetsu and Mangetsu visit a local public swimming pool, and attempt to solidify exactly what their relationship is.

The hot water sprayed over Shingetsu's head, soaking her jet black hair, which fell in soaking wet strands down her back. She leaned against the wall of the shower. tilting her head back, deep in thought.  
A week had passed since the fireworks festival with Mangetsu, and it hadn't left her thoughts since. Ever since, her usual nervousness around Mangetsu had elevated even further.  
She had said and did such embarrassing things after all. Her mind reflected on Mangetsu's kiss, and the confidence she had as she had accepted it. The two had hardly spoken about it since, other than some mild teasing from Mangetsu about it. Shingetsu had trouble bringing it up. But why? "Do I regret it?" she said aloud, to no one in particular.  
"No, that's not it." she corrected herself.  
Great. Now she was talking to herself. 

She left the shower, and saw her phone lit up, signaling a new message. She suddenly felt lighter, as if she had been given clarity for a brief moment.  
"I'll be there in 10 minutes. Ok?" Mangetsu's text read.  
Received 11 minutes ago.  
Shingetsu panicked as a knock at the door startled her out of her trance.  
Mangetsu.  
She was wearing only a towel. She had to get ready, she scrambled to get dressed and then she had to...  
"How many times has Mangetsu woken up in my bed naked after Granbelm now?" the thought crossed her mind. Pushing the irrational embarrassment out of her mind, she yelled "Come in!"  
"Sorry for intruding. Did I-" she paused, surveying the room.  
"I see"  
"I-it's not what you think!" Shingetsu's stuttering voice rang across the room, as she stood in front of Mangetsu, red faced and half dressed.  
"Oh? And what do I think, Shingetsu-chan?"  
"Don't play innocent with me. I know you too well."  
"Well I'm sorry for intruding" Mangetsu giggled. "But I'm not THAT sorry."  
"Don't we have somewhere to be?" Shingetsu retorted.  
They were supposed to be at the pool by now. Mangetsu suggested it due to the heat, as a break from training. Shingetsu agreed, but was having second thoughts, imagining Mangetsu in her swimsuit.  
Shingetsu only had a school swimsuit and nothing else, so any worry on that end was nonexistent.  
They arrived at the pool, and went to strip down to their swimsuits. Shingetsu watched variously as Mangetsu's clothes fell to the ground revealing....her own school swimsuit?  
"Were you expecting something more lewd?" Mangetsu grinned, mocking her.  
"I-I don't know what I expected." Shingetsu replied.  
"I didn't want you to feel like you stood out too much, coming to a public pool in your school swimsuit."  
"You didn't think two of us in matching school swimsuits would stand out?" Shingetsu blushed, looking towards the ground.  
"But at least we'll stand out together. Right Shingetsu-chan?"  
Together. But what were they together? Shingetsu pondered this question as they exited the changing rooms and went out to the pool. As expected, there wasn't another school swimsuit in sight. 

Shingetsu lowered herself into the pool and turned around to help Mangetsu, only to see her apprehensively standing a few feet away from the edge.  
"Are you okay, Mangetsu?" she asked, seeing the unease that had replaced her usually optimistic facial expression.  
"It's embarrassing"  
"You mean being in the water?"  
Mangetsu shook her head.  
"I know it sounds dumb, because I'm the one who wanted to go swimming with you, but....I can't."  
"You can't swim?" Shingetsu was shocked, but tried not to show the disappointment in her voice.  
"It's not just that, I'm afraid of being underwater. I feel like I could sink and no one would notice me drowning."  
"I would notice." Shingetsu said pensively.  
Mangetsu nodded.  
"I know that. It's why I thought I would feel ok coming with you. But looking at the water and how deep it is, I'm scared."  
Shingetsu took a deep breath, and fought off the blush from her face that had developed at the prospect of what she was about to say.  
"Would it...would it help if I held on to you?  
Mangetsu looked shocked. This was a very bold thing for Shingetsu to say, and it had taken all of her strength to say it."  
Mangetsu thought about it for a second.  
"It would. Will you help me learn to swim, Shingetsu-chan?"

Mangetsu floated face up in the water, held afloat by Shingetsu next to her. The weight and pressure of the water around her made her feel isolated, like floating in nothingness. The only thing that kept her grounded was the warmth of Shingetsu's arms under her, keeping her from slipping under.  
"If you can relax your body, you won't sink."  
Shingetsu's voice cut through her thoughts, bringing her back to reality, where she was suspended in water that would go far over her head if she tried to stand up.  
"I...don't know how."  
Mangetsu closed her eyes  
"Every time I try, I feel like I'm surrounded by nothing. Like I am nothing."  
"You aren't nothing. You're my-"  
Shingetsu stopped.  
"Ehhh? I'm your what?"  
"I-I don't know, actually. We...haven't really talked about that."  
"Well, I guess the question has to be, what do you want us to be, Shingetsu-chan?"  
"I...don't know how to answer that."  
Mangetsu nodded. "Well, when you figure it out, we can be whatever you want us to be."  
"H-how can you just say such embarrassing things?" Shingetsu asked, incredulous, with a bright red across her face that definitely wasn't sunburn.  
"Heh. Do you want me to stop?" Mangetsu giggled.  
"I don't. However, pay attention to your surroundings."  
Mangetsu opened her eyes, Shingetsu stood next to her, holding up both her hands. Mangetsu was floating in the water of her own accord.  
For about 6 seconds. As soon as she became aware of what was happening she lost her cool and immediately started treading water, and Shingetsu grabbed ahold of her again, calming her.  
"Was it that bad?" Shingetsu asked.  
"It wasn't that bad." Mangetsu beamed at her."I was able to float by myself, thanks to you."  
"You did it, all I did was keep you company." Shingetsu played it off, though she was secretly very excited.  
"Thanks not true. You helped me again. You always help me, Shingetsu-chan."  
Shingetsu turned red and looked away slightly.  
"Mangetsu is...a very important person to me after all."  
Mangetsu hugged Shingetsu, causing the shade of red on her face to deepen in color.  
"So...do you....want to be my girlfriend, Shingetsu-chan?"  
"What? I was...I was supposed to ask that!"  
"It was taking you too long." Mangetsu teased.  
"I can say no, you know." Shingetsu pouted a bit.  
"Then say no."  
Mangetsu called her bluff that wasn't much of a bluff to begin with. 

Before Shingetsu could respond, it was announced that the pool was closing, so the two were cut off again, going back to change into their regular clothes. The sun had begun to set, turning the sky a bright orange as they left the pool, Beginning the walk home together, Shingetsu nervously stared at the ground and reached for Mangetsu's hand.  
"I do" she said.  
"You do what?" Mangetsu asked, fully knowing what Shingetsu wanted to say.  
"I....do want to be your...I want you to be my girlfriend."  
Mangetsu smiled at her.  
"Then can I ask something in return?" she asked.  
"What is it?"  
"Will you hold my hand the whole way home, Shingetsu-chan?"  
Shingetsu laughed.  
"I was already going to."


	3. Moonlight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Final Chapter! Mangetsu and Shingetsu wrestle with mutual nervousness about spending the night together.

A pale half moon bathed the streets in a soft glowing light, just enough to see a few feet in front of you, but not enough to make out anything distinct. Shingetsu Ernesta Fukami nervously approached her apartment’s door, her hands shaking slightly as she prepared to open the door. 

“What’s wrong, Shingetsu-chan?” a bright voice behind her broke the silence. Mangetsu stood behind her, waiting patiently in spite of the fact that she was carrying bags of food from the convenience store, as well as a bag holding (presumably) a change of clothes. 

“It’s nothing.” Shingetsu waved her off, finally unlocking the door and opening her pitch black apartment. She stepped in, hand sliding across the cold, smooth wall searching for the light switch.  
*CRACK*  
A sharp sound rang out behind her. Mangetsu stood in front of the doorway mortified, staring at the bag of food that held previously unbroken eggs, that now lay on the ground.  
She put her hands together and bowed her head “I’m sorry, Shingetsu-chan”

So she was nervous too, Shingetsu thought.  
“Don’t worry about it. I’m not helping you clean it up, though.” she said, only half joking. She stepped into the apartment, finally turning on the light and grabbing a garbage bag and a paper towel out of the closet, before going back to the doorway to hand them to Mangetsu.  
Mangetsu looked up at her with a relieved smile.  
“I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that you’re not mad. I just don’t want you to decide you don’t like me anymore.” she said.  
Shingetsu couldn’t decide if that was a joke or not, so she swallowed, and prepared herself to answer honestly.  
“That....could never happen.”  
She was glad it was dark out, so Mangetsu couldn’t see her blushing, and made a mental note not to go inside the well lit apartment just yet.  
Mangetsu giggled playfully. She was joking after all.  
“Promise?” she asked, as Shingetsu flushed an ever brighter red, that was probably visible in spite of the dark outside.  
“Hurry and clean up that mess” she brushed her girlfriend off and went inside, hiding her face the whole time.  
While Mangetsu cleaned, Shingetsu went into her bathroom and tried to compose herself. Her and Mangetsu had officially decided that they were a couple a month earlier, and nothing had really changed in the way they spent time together. And that was....good, right? She thought back to the day after leaving the pool, and how nervous she had been that everything would change, and it all ended up being for nothing as other than the occasional public displays of affection, nothing significant had actually changed.

That is, before tonight. Mangetsu was sleeping over for the first time since the last time she woke up in Shingetsu’s bed after Granbelm, if that even counts. She wondered exactly what was going to happen. Was anything going to happen? Does she want something to happen? Does Manget-She shook her head, clearing her mind and trying to focus on the moment.  
This wasn’t the time to worry about that. Mangetsu was probably finished cleaning by now and was probably waiting for her to start making dinner.  
She left the living room to find Mangetsu sitting in her kitchen, already starting.  
She was certainly determined if nothing else.  
Mangetsu had promised to make Shingetsu food something that was so delicious she wouldn’t believe it. While that sounded well and good, this was a regular occurrence. Mangetsu was very enthusiastic about food, but was always just ok at making it.  
“I see you’re finally here to help, Shingetsu-chan.” Mangetsu snarked.  
“No, you misunderstand. If I help you cook, it’ll just make everything worse.”  
“I want you to help anyway.” Mangetsu pouted, knowing she would get her way.  
Shingetsu agreed to help, as she went to help prepare the tonkatsu and rice that Mangetsu so desperately wanted Shingetsu to enjoy.  
A very messy, and very embarrassing hour for Shingetsu ended with two servings of food in front of them.  
The pork cutlets were slightly burnt around the edges, and the rice just barely undercooked, but you could tell from the look on Mangetsu’s face that she was proud of it.  
Mangetsu drizzled Worcestershire sauce across the pieces of meat, and looked expectantly at Shingetsu.  
“Thank you for the food” Shingetsu said.  
She put the fried pork in her mouth, and chewed. It was slightly dry, but not in a way that would seriously stop you from enjoying it. The breading was just every so slightly burnt. The Worcestershire sauce was just a little overpowering. Still, her girlfriend had worked very hard on this. It shouldn’t be hard to compliment her on something like this, right? She should tell her it’s delicious because of the effort she put in. It’s the least Shingetsu could do, as her girlfriend.  
“So what do you think?” Mangetsu said, biting her lip lightly.  
Before she could stop herself, Shingetsu blurted out “It’s fine.”  
Stupid. Stupid. Stupid stupid stupid stupid stupid. That was exactly what I DIDN’T want to say.  
She looked up from the food to see Mangetsu smiling anyway.  
“That’s just what I expected you would say, Shingetsu-chan.”  
“Mangetsu..” Shingetsu trailed off. Mangetsu was really amazing, wasn’t she? She never complained, never expected more of Shingetsu, and always stayed by her side.  
“What’s up?” Mangetsu asked, puzzled.  
“Did you want to take a bath first or should I?” Shingetsu thought of a convenient excuse for randomly blurting out her name. Mangetsu and her were covered in flour and egg anyway, so it was sorely needed for both of them.  
“You can go first, I’ll take care of the dishes. I wouldn’t want to leave your apartment a mess.”  
While Shingetsu went to bathe, Mangetsu let herself relax slightly. She had been trying very hard to not let her nerves show through the entire night so far, and thought she had completely ruined things when she dropped the bag earlier. She finished the dishes, all the while wondering what was going to happen the rest of the night. She wasn’t sure what to think, or what Shingetsu was thinking but she didn’t want to presume anything or create any kind of misunderstanding. What if Shingetsu never thought about doing anything like that?  
As this thought crossed her mind, Shingetsu left the bath and crossed her bedroom in a towel.  
“You can go in now, if you want.”  
Mangetsu rushed in, trying not to stare as Shingetsu got dressed.  
“Thank you, Shingetsu-chan.”  
Shingetsu blushed, as expected. 

Mangetsu sat with the lukewarm bath water up to just below her eyes. She was having trouble deciding exactly what to say when she got out of the bath, or what to do with herself.  
“Or what to do with....” she wondered softly to herself, out loud, but not loudly enough for Shingetsu to hear if she was listening. 

There was a knock at the door, causing her to jump.  
“A-are you going to come out?” Shingetsu said quietly from the other side of the door.  
“J-just a minute, yes.”  
As she got up and wrapped a towel around herself, her nerves hit her all at once. She dried off and put her clothes on before opening the door.  
Shingetsu had laid a futon on the floor next to the bed, and was sitting down on the edge of her bed, looking down at her hands, which were tightly clenched together. Was she scared? Excited? Both?  
Mangetsu could feel her body trembling slightly as she sad down on the bed next to Shingetsu. Shingetsu stiffened and sat straight up, her still slightly wet black hair clinging to her neck.  
“Mangetsu...”  
“What is it, Shingetsu-chan?”  
“Do you want to...” Shingetsu trailed off, losing her brief moment of confidence.  
Mangetsu stood up, in front of Shingetsu and pulled her upper body close to her. With Shingetsu sitting and her standing, her much taller girlfriend’s head came just barely up to her collar bone. Mangetsu took delight in this fact and held her there for a few seconds longer before lowering her head to kiss Shingetsu on the forehead.  
“I only want to do what you want to, Shingetsu-chan.”  
Shingetsu mustered all of her confidence to pull Mangetsu into bed with her, as the half moon shone brightly through the window.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I stopped writing this fic due to some depression brought on by episode 10-11 of the anime, but had committed myself to writing a 3rd chapter eventually anyway.  
This takes place roughly a couple weeks before the events of episode 9 and 10 because I really wanted to keep the lighthearted, wholesome feeling of the previous chapter intact. 
> 
> I took some pretty obvious influence from Ch. 44 of YagaKimi here because I absolutely loved how it handled the building tension of a night where both partners have the same thing on their mind while still placing so much emphasis on consent, and I feel that would absolutely translate to Mangetsu and Shingetsu’s dynamic due to how well they communicate with each other. 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed my first ever fan fiction about these wonderful girls and their relationship. Granbelm is over but Moon Moon will live forever.


End file.
